Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC Purchases Shares of 1,625 Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO)

Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC purchased a new stake in Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,625 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $225,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 114,776 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,921,000 after buying an additional 12,269 shares during the period. DRW Securities LLC purchased a new position in Atmos Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,000,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 127.1% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 50,280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,974,000 after buying an additional 28,142 shares during the period. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 5,160 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $716,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Atmos Energy by 112.7% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,354 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $465,000 after buying an additional 1,777 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.17% of the company’s stock.

Atmos Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATO opened at $150.32 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $141.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $129.12. Atmos Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $110.46 and a 12 month high of $151.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.68.

Atmos Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. Atmos Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $134.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Atmos Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atmos Energy news, Director Edward Geiser acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $144.89 per share, for a total transaction of $362,225.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at $377,003.78. This trade represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Atmos Energy Profile

Atmos Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated natural gas distribution, and pipeline and storage businesses in the United States. It operates through two segments, Distribution, and Pipeline and Storage. The Distribution segment is involved in the regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations in eight states.